Improvement in automatic transmitting- tele graph-apparatus



O. WESTBROOK.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMITTING TELEGRAPH APPARATUS.

No. 88,248. Patented Mar. 23, 1869.

1- 111 Tm U1 out C- WESTBROOK, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent No. 88,248, dated March 23, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC TRANSMITTING TELEGRAPH-APPARATUS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom' it may concern:

Be it known that I, O, Wnsrnnoox, of Harrisburg, in the county of Dauphin, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Devices for Transmitting and Retransmitting Messages by Telegraph; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification,.in which- Figure I is aside elevation of an instrument such as is used in recording telegraphic messages, by what is termedthe Morse system, showing my retransmittingdevice as combined therewith.

. Figure II is a top view of my improvement detached from the recording-instrument.

The nature of myinvention consists in combining, with an instrument to used for recording messages, sent by telegraph according to .what is known as the Morse systemof telegraphing, a:-device, hymeans of which the embossed, or raised telegraphic characters, such as are producedby that system of recording telegraphic signs, may be used for transmitting such messages auto atically over a line of telegraph.

A, in th drawings, represents the well-known instrument used in recording messages which may have been transmitted, or sent over any.line of telegraph wires by the Morse system.

This device is well known and in common use, and hence need not be more particularly described here, as it forms no part of my present invention. It may, however, be necessary to say that 0 represents the pointed screw, which is used in making the projections upon the fillet of paper as it passes. through such machine, B showing thelever to which it is attached, which lever is caused to vibrate by the breaking and closing of an electric circuit through the magnet K, or the lever may be manipulated, without the use of an electric circuit, thus operating the pointed screw, and causing itto make the projections upon the fillet of paper D, as shown in the drawings, Fig. I.

A represents a'frame-work of metal, which is to be secured to the frame of the recording-instrument, as clearly shown in Fig. I.

This frame A has rising from it two standards, B B, which have, in their upperends, slots, for the reception of the journals of the guides B" B, and, in addition thereto, it has two more standards, A" A, for the reception of the set-screws I I, which retain and regulate the bent lever D.

B B" represent a roller, which serves as a guide for the fillet of paper, as it passes through the recordinginstrument, or through the transmitter.

This roller is so much reduced in size at the points where the fillet passes over it, as to leave on each side thereofflanges projectinga distance sufiicient to receive through them a rod, or it may be a hinged bar, leaving between it and the body of the guide, a space of suflicient depth for the fillet to pass through, but which will offer sufiicient resistance to its passage, to keep it straight, and within control of the mechanism which controls its movements.

The rod. or'bar above alluded to, is shown at O 0, Fig. II.

D represents a lever, which has two arms, ataright angle, the one to the other, and which is supported between the standards A A, upon the points of setscrews I I.

This lever has upon the outer end of its lower, or horizontal arm, and projecting downward therefrom, a steel plate, E, the lower edge of which is reduced nearly to a cutting-edge, and which rests upon the fillet of paper as it passes through the instrument, and is for the purpose of giving motion to the lever, as the projections upon such fillet come in contact therewith.

F represents aframe of metal, which is secured to I the upper ends of standards A A, and which extends, in an arched form, from one to the other, for the purpose of receiving the regulating-screws H H.

G represents a spring, which is attached to the vertical arm of lever D, andwhich, at its upper end, rests near the point of screw H, the office of which spring is to break and close contact with screw H, while the prepared fillet, heretofore mentioned, is passing'thro ugh the instrument.

' G represents a spring, which is attached to the lever as shown, in such a manner as to give the knife-edge a gentle pressure upon the fillet at all times.

H represents a screw, which passes through the arch F, and to which one part of the main circuit is connected, while the spring G forms the other part.

H represents a screw, which passes through the arch F, but is insulated from it, and is for the purpose .of regulating the tension of spring G.

I I represent setscrews, which pass through the standards A A, and receive upon their inner pointed ends the shaft of lever D, they supporting said shaft, and furnishing the means of its adjustment.

The operation of my improvedinstrument is as follows:

The parts having been constructed as above described, and .combined with the Morse instrument, power is applied to revolve the friction-rollers thereof, the fillet of paper will be moved forward, and as the embossed, or raised characters, (dots and lines,) previously impressed upon it, in the manner hereinbefore described, pass under the knife-edge of lever D, that end of the lever will be raised up, which movement will bring the spring G in contact with the screw H, thus closing the circuit; and as the embossed parts of the fillet pass beyond the knife-edge, the spring G will throw the lever back, thus breaking the main circuit. In other words, the lever D performs the ofifice of a manipulating-key, and the circuit is broken and closed by its movements, as hereinbefore described.

It is to be understood that the connections are so arranged that the lever D is one part of the circuit, and the screw H, another'part;

It will be seen, that as a consequence of this combination, any message which may have been recorded by or upon a Morse instrument, will be reproduced on the line, at a rate of speed corresponding with the forward movement of the paper, and may be recorded at the distant station, or stations by any of the known processes used for that purpose.

Messages may also be prepared, for automatic transmission, on paper with alnetallic surface, or on foil, or other-"metallic substance of a nature to be embossed with telegraphic characters, by the Morse process of recording-dots and lines, the characters being embossed on the metallic side of the paper, when gilt paper is used.

In transmitting from this metallic fillet, the lever D is so adjusted that the knife-edge will come in contact with the raised, or embossed parts of the fillet, butwill not touch any other part of its metallic surface. Now, as the strip moves forward, the message previously projected upon it, injthe manner hereinbefore described, will be reproduced over the line. 7

It is understood that, in .this case, the connections are so made that lever D is one part of the circuit, and the metallio strip the other.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In combination-with a telegraph-instrument, adapted to receive and record messages upon the Morse plan, or system, a transmitting-apparatu's, consisting essentially of the springefinger D, acting as an automatic key, operated by the projections ofthe embossed fillet, as it passes from. the ,recording-instrument, so as to make and break the circuit, and thereby automatically reproduce the message, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

\Vitnesses:

J. S. I'IOLLINGSHEAD, EDWIN Limits.

0. WESTBROOK. 

